By Mirage

A weekend of racing or going to Home Depot to get landscaping equipment? Hmm, tough decision right? Well, since my friend (Gunny) put it that way I must forgo cutting my lawn for yet another weekend. Gunny invited me to go to VIR to see the Suzuki Big Kahuna Nationals and from what he described I just couldn’t pass it up (no matter how tall my grass was going to become). Now originally we were going to trailer our motorcycles (his FZ-6 and my R1) to Danville, Virginia but he decided it wouldn't be safe to put two sport bikes on his trailer as really only one would fit comfortably. That decision turned out to be one of the best choices we made. It was then decided we would drive down on Friday morning and stay three days in Virginia returning Monday morning. And so the story begins…

Friday arrived and although we were going for an early start we didn’t leave until 11am. Not once have I left without hitting traffic and that includes leaving at 4am (damn construction!). This time it was just congestion but after an hour and a half we were on our way. Sadly the traffic nightmare wasn’t just confined to our neighborhood but what appeared to be the whole length of I-95.

I figured the trip would take about seven hours but that was a pipe dream. Ten hours later (including gas stops and dinner) we were at our hotel. A detour through Washington DC to cut through some of the traffic might have cost us more time but it was fantastic seeing the White House, Pentagon, Washington Monument and Capitol building so it was worth it. Surprisingly the time went by quickly but there was NO WAY IN HELL I could’ve made that trip on “the One.” Not to mention that Saturday the temperature was 95 (100 with the heat index) and Sunday was 97 (104 with the heat index) so riding was going to be cut short even if that was an option (guess we won't be seeing Mirage riding in Florida anytime soon - Ed). Turns out that we wouldn’t have had much time to do any riding around VIR since all the track events occupied our time.

Friday was now in the record books so Saturday we planned our agenda and attacked VIR with a vengeance. First the complex itself looked great (better than I remember it) and the “all access” passes that we had (including garage suites) was key.


Definitely worth the money and if they offer this deal again nobody should hesitate to purchase it. Not only do they feed you for two days (including refreshments) but the big plus was gaining access to the pits (except during the race; obviously). It also was a pleasure having A/C considering the hot weather (Jamie Hacking actually went to the hospital after complaining about being nauseous and weak – heat exhaustion perhaps?) and a private bathroom since you might not be so willing to share one with 50,000 fans between both race days.

To see the teams up close, talk to the mechanics (I personally spent an hour an hour chewing an ear off one of the Graves guys) and see the level of an AMA Superbike team in action is spectacular. I have a new appreciation for “the crew” and what they actually do behind the scenes that make a Matt Mladin or Ben Spies (granted they have phenomenal riding abilities already) achieve greatness.

Saturday was practice/qualifying/racing and let me tell you, if you think you're fast go see any one of these classes run (Formula Xtreme, Superstock, Supersport or Superbike). Unbelievable! To go down the front straight at close to 180mph and to hear those bikes rev is something every motorcycle rider should experience (yes, even Harley riders [some were there BTW]). Truth be told, after watching the qualifying round I REALLY wanted to tear up some of the back roads in Virginia but I only saw lots and lots of tickets in my future if I did (a little foreshadowing here). Still, I like to pretend that I can hang with Matt, Jamie or anyone of the Bostrom/Hayden brothers.

Saturday’s race was fantastic with a battle between Aaron Yates and Jamie hacking that TV alone could not do justice. If you missed it watch your TIVO as it’s that damn good. The result for race 1 of the Superbikes was Matt Mladin, Ben Spies and Jamie Hacking.

Sunday was strictly racing although there were a few warm up sessions. Otherwise three hours of Superstock, Supersport and Superbike racing. Motorcycle Nirvana I tell ya! Before the races Gunny and I made our way around to get photos with as many racers we could find and pick up as much swag as our backpacks could carry. Between the signed posters, hats, t-shirts, cool mugs and pictures you’d think we knocked over a dealership. I must say that to meet-n-greet professional athletes (yes I said athletes) in this manner is truly remarkable. If you think you would be able to talk (or even gain access) to a sports superstar (i.e. Payton Manning, Derek Jeter, LeBron “King” James, etc.) then you’re sorely mistaken. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that all of the racers were more than happy to sign autographs, talk shop or take pictures. Case in point was Johnny Rock Page. He not only signed a bunch of items for me, took pictures with me but also talked about his setup and how he would navigate the "left hook". The only way to get any closer to the action would be to have your own team and sadly I don’t have Michael Jordan’s bankroll. 

In case you’re wondering (I know you are) Matt did do the double by winning race 2 followed by Ben Spies with Aaron Yates in third.